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Posted: 7/17/2018 3:52:01 PM EDT
[#1]
I miss drinking from those Rocky Mountain Streams without filtration the water was amazing.
I still primarily just boil my water I have all the fancy filters but I drink coffee as my primary source of hydration and it's boiled. |
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Posted: 8/12/2018 6:09:28 PM EDT
[#2]
I had been using the sawyer mini with good results. Then I tried the squeeze. A few days later the squeeze was in my pack. Can't beat it for flow. Barely bigger than the mini but much more effective in my experience.
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Posted: 8/12/2018 6:12:12 PM EDT
[#3]
I have drank plenty of water from streams (incuding CO) without filtering and never had a problem. Water in our wilderness areas is very clean.
That said, I do carry and use a MSR Sweetwater filter and Iike it. |
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Posted: 8/12/2018 7:57:53 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have drank plenty of water from streams (incuding CO) without filtering and never had a problem. Water in our wilderness areas is very clean. That said, I do carry and use a MSR Sweetwater filter and Iike it. Folks filter it. It isn't hard, and even if you never use water that needs it, it only takes once to make you miserable or dead. |
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Posted: 8/12/2018 8:55:06 PM EDT
[#5]
I'm in the middle of hurricane season and went with a Sawyer Squeeze 1, two Minis and a few LifeStraws, adding the gravity bucket system to the preps. I live on a big lake fed by canals, so water will be abundant.
I didn't need it during Irma, as my water stayed on, but I never know. Chris |
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Posted: 8/12/2018 9:04:39 PM EDT
[#6]
I use the Sawyer mini for on-the-go resupply. Water in camp is handled by a Platypus 4L Gravityworks filter. The new redesign with physical quick releases kicks the old push-on nipples' ass. Last month in UT at 11K feet we ran dual 4L systems because of the amount of water we were drinking to stay hydrated. The Platypus is super fast.
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Posted: 8/12/2018 9:24:11 PM EDT
[#7]
my home system is a Sawyer .1 micron 5 gal bucket system, backed up by a Sawyer Mini...on site shallow well... I also stock some pool shock and low ppm chlorine test strips.... it has been a lot of years since my city water has been disrupted, but with the abundance of sewer pump stations it is always a possibility...I store about 20gal of water which is rotated at the beginning of hurricane season, and treated with chlorine bleach 2ml per 20L
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Posted: 8/13/2018 4:09:15 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yep, that flowing water is safe. Right up until something dead is in the water upstream. The absolute last place you want to have a water borne illness is when you are a long walk from help. Folks filter it. It isn't hard, and even if you never use water that needs it, it only takes once to make you miserable or dead. Live a little. Some fresh, ice cold mountain water in your cup is delicious. I drink unfiltered well water from my well and it doesn't hurt me either. |
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Posted: 8/13/2018 6:03:06 PM EDT
[#9]
For back packing they are great. Just remember for long term the weakest link are those foldable bags. Most through hikers carry multiple bags because they do break and leak. It's the biggest weakness of the system and why I still don't think they beat other systems for long term survival purposes.
You are compromising reliability/durability (use of the bags that will break) for weight and ease of use. There are always trade offs. However for a normal backpacking or GHB they cant be beat. |
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Posted: 8/13/2018 6:05:21 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The water in the back country areas of the US is extremely clean. Many cities have more bad stuff in their water than back country water supplies. I filter water I put into my water bottles usually but regularly drink the water when I'm out in the back woods and have never gotten sick. A lot of people I know do the same and have never had an issue. Live a little. Some fresh, ice cold mountain water in your cup is delicious. I drink unfiltered well water from my well and it doesn't hurt me either. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: Yep, that flowing water is safe. Right up until something dead is in the water upstream. The absolute last place you want to have a water borne illness is when you are a long walk from help. Folks filter it. It isn't hard, and even if you never use water that needs it, it only takes once to make you miserable or dead. Live a little. Some fresh, ice cold mountain water in your cup is delicious. I drink unfiltered well water from my well and it doesn't hurt me either. |
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Posted: 8/13/2018 8:24:12 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This is bad advice to live by. At least out here in the west where cattle were and are prevalent you cannot trust any water you come across. Making a broad statement about the entire US is rather ignorant. Its highly dependent on where you are at. The only places in the world I've gotten sick from food is Iraq and South Korea eating at a Burger King. I've never gotten sick in the back country. I also have good hygiene practices. I know of a number of hiking enthusiasts who hike far more than I do and in the US, they don't even carry any water purification or filtration systems at all. They drink from the streams far more than I do and have no issues. |
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Posted: 8/14/2018 1:01:22 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I've camped in a large number of states. I've drank from many streams without filtration. I read a study out there that determined that the risk is low and if backpackers practiced better hygiene, the already low incidence of stomach upset in the wilderness would be even lower. The only places in the world I've gotten sick from food is Iraq and South Korea eating at a Burger King. I've never gotten sick in the back country. I also have good hygiene practices. I know of a number of hiking enthusiasts who hike far more than I do and in the US, they don't even carry any water purification or filtration systems at all. They drink from the streams far more than I do and have no issues. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: This is bad advice to live by. At least out here in the west where cattle were and are prevalent you cannot trust any water you come across. Making a broad statement about the entire US is rather ignorant. Its highly dependent on where you are at. The only places in the world I've gotten sick from food is Iraq and South Korea eating at a Burger King. I've never gotten sick in the back country. I also have good hygiene practices. I know of a number of hiking enthusiasts who hike far more than I do and in the US, they don't even carry any water purification or filtration systems at all. They drink from the streams far more than I do and have no issues. |
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Posted: 8/14/2018 2:07:15 AM EDT
[#13]
Has anyone tried the Katadyn BeFree?
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Posted: 8/14/2018 4:22:48 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Thats nice, its also terrible advice which no one should listen to unless they lack any means of purification and are close to dying from dehydration. |
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Posted: 8/14/2018 10:32:07 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Have you ever consumed untreated water in wilderness areas? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: Thats nice, its also terrible advice which no one should listen to unless they lack any means of purification and are close to dying from dehydration. What's your point? Usually I try to be civil but your advice stands against every single principle when it comes to water safety and survival. It's actually dangerous and deadly advice. My point is made and since you will have zero support from any reputable source other then your own opinion there is no reason for me to keep responding. I think both the opinions are well known at the time. |
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Posted: 8/14/2018 10:53:46 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: No I also haven't ever eaten my own feces, played Russian roulette, handled a rattlesnake with my bare hands, tried to swallow swords, vacationed in Somalia or had sex with a hooker. What's your point? Usually I try to be civil but your advice stands against every single principle when it comes to water safety and survival. It's actually dangerous and deadly advice. My point is made and since you will have zero support from any reputable source other then your own opinion there is no reason for me to keep responding. I think both the opinions are well known at the time. Ok then. Link Link Another link |
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Posted: 8/14/2018 10:57:31 AM EDT
[#17]
NM Lets keep GD more along the lines of tech. |
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Posted: 8/14/2018 6:34:05 PM EDT
[#18]
Free Country and all. But please do not listen to that advice. Filter the water. For 20 bucks and a few ounces I can't see the logic in not doing that. It still tastes great and is still cold.
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Posted: 8/14/2018 6:55:47 PM EDT
[#19]
I am quite content with my Katadhyn hiker pro. Pumping doesn't bother me, gives me a few minutes to rest if anything. It can also draw water in pools too shallow for anything else. I do have a Sawyer squeeze as a back up but haven't used it yet.
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Posted: 8/14/2018 7:49:06 PM EDT
[#20]
The Sawyer Mini and Squeeze filters are proof that today is a great day to be alive.
Wonderful products that are cheap, reliable, long lasting and easy to use. After using the Mini for the last few years the Squeeze is definitely the better model when looking at flow rate. Also, buy the 32 oz Sawyer water bags if your filter only comes with 16 oz and then thank me later. |
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Posted: 8/15/2018 11:01:32 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: No I also haven't ever eaten my own feces, played Russian roulette, handled a rattlesnake with my bare hands, tried to swallow swords, vacationed in Somalia or had sex with a hooker. What's your point? Usually I try to be civil but your advice stands against every single principle when it comes to water safety and survival. It's actually dangerous and deadly advice. My point is made and since you will have zero support from any reputable source other then your own opinion there is no reason for me to keep responding. I think both the opinions are well known at the time. Ok then. Link Link Another link http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/science-sushi/2018/02/08/backpackers-dont-listen-to-slate-the-science-does-support-water-treatment/#.W3Q-P-hKiUk They sum it up well here. The simple fact is, if you drink untreated water, you’re taking on a non-negligible amount of risk. The good news is that risk—however large or small it may be—can be mitigated. And no, not just with fancy filters.
Linck is quick to chastise the outdoors industry for “claiming the average hiker or camper needs a $99.95 microfilter pump to avoid illness and death.” Maybe expensive devices are talked up by their makers (are we really blaming companies for wanting to sell their products?), but luckily, the people that study waterborne diseases and pretty much everyone who has had any kind of training in wilderness survival will tell you that decent water treatment can be done a myriad of ways, many of which are dirt cheap. “Boiling water is one of the most effective ways to inactivate parasites, viruses, and bacteria,” Yoder notes. Or you could get chlorine dioxide tablets that treat a liter of water for about $0.50 each. |
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Posted: 8/16/2018 10:38:28 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The Sawyer Mini and Squeeze filters are proof that today is a great day to be alive. Wonderful products that are cheap, reliable, long lasting and easy to use. After using the Mini for the last few years the Squeeze is definitely the better model when looking at flow rate. Also, buy the 32 oz Sawyer water bags if your filter only comes with 16 oz and then thank me later. |
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Posted: 8/16/2018 11:02:04 PM EDT
[#23]
this is how we clean filters
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Posted: 8/17/2018 9:57:11 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryI think you’re supposed to rinse the, in clean water. 
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Posted: 8/17/2018 1:11:54 PM EDT
[#25]
I probably have a dozen or so filters of one sort or another. They all work for what they are and within their limitations.
I was using a cheap Sportmansguide $20 squeeze bottle the forum survival camp our old friend DieTryin got Ghiardia. That said, what's best is understanding those limitations and using a filter that best fits your needs. That includes how to clean it and maintain it. There's a bunch of truisms that we've talked about many times on this forum. For example, activated charcoal coats once wet in about six months, however some filters like the mini-works you can brush the disc, others the filter still filters just not action on dissolved solids. You put a lot of suspended solids in any filter, its going to clog faster. Often its a good idea to use a settling feature or pre-filter to remove suspended solids. Understanding your water source is key. Clear cold running water is radically different from slow warm water. Sampling from below the surface is almost always best with at the bottom as bad as at the top. There's not enough time in a single thread to go into all this. My favorite filter is still my "First Need". Nobodies topped it yet and its the only filter rated for virus that doesn't involve a secondary treatment. It is one that the activated charcoal goes in six months and there's no cleaning the charcoal but the filter still filters at 0.01microns. Its a pump with good flow per pump, will gravity feed from its bag, and has dual attachment sizes for screw tops built into its filter element. I use this one often on my boat which is on clean water suspended solids but slow moving and warm water with habitation upstream. That said, I like the Mini-works for a high volume filter because its ceramic with a cleanable charcoal disc and I have a bunch of small ones like Lifestraw etc. for emergency GHB use. Katadyne makes some nice ones in compact sizes. Now this stuff isn't rocket science, a little biology maybe, but mostly commonsense stuff. Its what does your water source look like, temperature, what's upstream, when was the last rain, how well does it flow, etc. Then you simply adjust what you are doing accordingly. Do this and you will be shocked how many very handy options are in the market these days. Cold clear fast moving water, as long as you are not pumping near something dead in the water, man is that an easy one. It gets a bit more complicated after that but it isn't rock science. Just take time to think about it a little. Tj |
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Posted: 8/17/2018 2:29:46 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I probably have a dozen or so filters of one sort or another. They all work for what they are and within their limitations. I was using a cheap Sportmansguide $20 squeeze bottle the forum survival camp our old friend DieTryin got Ghiardia. That said, what's best is understanding those limitations and using a filter that best fits your needs. That includes how to clean it and maintain it. There's a bunch of truisms that we've talked about many times on this forum. For example, activated charcoal coats once wet in about six months, however some filters like the mini-works you can brush the disc, others the filter still filters just not action on dissolved solids. You put a lot of suspended solids in any filter, its going to clog faster. Often its a good idea to use a settling feature or pre-filter to remove suspended solids. Understanding your water source is key. Clear cold running water is radically different from slow warm water. Sampling from below the surface is almost always best with at the bottom as bad as at the top. There's not enough time in a single thread to go into all this. My favorite filter is still my "First Need". Nobodies topped it yet and its the only filter rated for virus that doesn't involve a secondary treatment. It is one that the activated charcoal goes in six months and there's no cleaning the charcoal but the filter still filters at 0.01microns. Its a pump with good flow per pump, will gravity feed from its bag, and has dual attachment sizes for screw tops built into its filter element. I use this one often on my boat which is on clean water suspended solids but slow moving and warm water with habitation upstream. That said, I like the Mini-works for a high volume filter because its ceramic with a cleanable charcoal disc and I have a bunch of small ones like Lifestraw etc. for emergency GHB use. Katadyne makes some nice ones in compact sizes. Now this stuff isn't rocket science, a little biology maybe, but mostly commonsense stuff. Its what does your water source look like, temperature, what's upstream, when was the last rain, how well does it flow, etc. Then you simply adjust what you are doing accordingly. Do this and you will be shocked how many very handy options are in the market these days. Cold clear fast moving water, as long as you are not pumping near something dead in the water, man is that an easy one. It gets a bit more complicated after that but it isn't rock science. Just take time to think about it a little. Tj https://www.campmor.com/c/first-need-xle-elite-water-purifier-81249 |
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Posted: 8/17/2018 8:05:58 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The water in the back country areas of the US is extremely clean. Many cities have more bad stuff in their water than back country water supplies. I filter water I put into my water bottles usually but regularly drink the water when I'm out in the back woods and have never gotten sick. A lot of people I know do the same and have never had an issue. Live a little. Some fresh, ice cold mountain water in your cup is delicious. I drink unfiltered well water from my well and it doesn't hurt me either. 
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Posted: 8/21/2018 12:48:47 PM EDT
[#28]
What's the consensus with the camlebak line of filters...they had a high-end one (MAPS) but discontinued it. Any recommendations for good in-line ones I can use with camelbaks?
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Posted: 8/24/2018 10:25:23 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The water in the back country areas of the US is extremely clean. Many cities have more bad stuff in their water than back country water supplies. I filter water I put into my water bottles usually but regularly drink the water when I'm out in the back woods and have never gotten sick. A lot of people I know do the same and have never had an issue. Live a little. Some fresh, ice cold mountain water in your cup is delicious. I drink unfiltered well water from my well and it doesn't hurt me either. I grew up in North Eastern Europe. As kids, we always drank water from multiple springs and water wells. Water was always amazingly clean and fresh. We have never experienced problems due to spring or well water quality. No one had any filters back then. Currently we have a deep well here at the house (rural SC). I can't drink this water. It smells weird and has a strange taste. PH is on the low side too, which is very bad. We only use this water for showers and buy ALL drinking water at the store. Sometimes I use the store bought water to rinse myself after a shower to keep the smell out. I think the poor water quality is due to all the houses in the area using septic tanks. Many people don;t maintain their septic system and pour all kinds of nasty crap in there. Many don't even know that you can only use septic safe soaps and washing powders. All of that junk goes right back into the well water. Yak. |
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Posted: 8/25/2018 11:46:57 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What's the consensus with the camlebak line of filters...they had a high-end one (MAPS) but discontinued it. Any recommendations for good in-line ones I can use with camelbaks? |
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Posted: 8/25/2018 1:36:45 PM EDT
[#31]
Filtration is all about understanding what target contaminates you want to remove VS the risks of what you may be missing. Things like bacteria are relatively easy to remove, dissolved chemicals on the other hand are very difficult to remove. I really think this chart explains it well.
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